he Arizona Diamondbacks look to avoid a slow start to 2015 with a win against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The defending National League West champion Los Angeles Dodgers kicked off 2014 with a 2-1 series win against San Diego where the bats and arms both contributed. The Dodgers come off a 7-4 victory versus the visiting Padres despite a poor outing from Brandon McCarthy who allowed all four runs on nine hits including a pair of long balls over five innings pitched while four relievers tossed scoreless baseball. The bats totaled eleven hits and walked three times with Adrian Gonzalez saving the day with a 4-4 night at the plate with three homers and four runs batted in. Left hander Brett Anderson begins his first season with the Dodgers after making eight starts for Colorado in 2014. Anderson was 1-3 with a 2.91 ERA covering 43 innings.

What the Arizona Diamondbacks desperately need to do is avoid the painfully slow start of a season ago that essentially destroyed their chances of competing for the National League West. Time will tell if that happens or not but the Diamondbacks are 1-2 after suffering a 5-2 defeat to visiting San Francisco on Wednesday. Starter Jeremy Hellickson struggled in his first outing with the Snakes with three runs plated on nine hits and a pair of free passes through 4.1 frames with Fred Marshall giving up two more. The offense never got going on five hits and two walks with Chris Owings and driving in a run with AJ Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt each scoring. Chase Anderson begins his second season in the rotation of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 21 starts in 2014 Anderson went 9-7 with an ERA just north of four.

The over is 10-2-1 in the Dodgers last 13 road games and is 19-5-2 in last 26 games as a favorite while Los Angeles are 43-19 in their last 62 games as a favorite. Arizona are 2-6 in their last 8 home games and are 15-36 in their last 51 games as an underdog while going 16-37 in their last 53 overall. Head to head the Dodgers are 9-2 in the last 11 meetings in Arizona and 22-7 in the last 29 meetings. In all honesty I don’t see a world of difference on the mound so if we take the better team we pay for it if they struggle…

Pick:

LA Dodgers -122

Mark

4/9/2015, 11:44 PM (EDT) 12/16/2018, 9:57 AM (EST)

I have been a sports fan since I was old enough to pick up a ball and have always been drawn to competition. I don't participate in sporting events any longer but I do like to provide my opinion on games and writing gives me that outlet. I won't always be right but I always put 100% in to every article I do whether it's the World Series or an 0-10 college football team. Mitch shares that same passion and allows me to express myself in my own way.

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